Conn. shares Egypt's joy at Mubarak resignation

Angela Carter, New Haven Register

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, February 12, 2011

Fireworks and celebratory gunfire rang out in Tunisia and Lebanon, South Africans recalled Nelson Mandela's euphoric release from prison and two words -- "Congrats Egypt" -- dominated social media sites as the world cheered the ouster of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.

That jubilance was shared around Greater New Haven by people with ties to the Middle Eastern nation.

Mohammad Elahee, professor of international business at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, said Friday it is good in the short term that President Hosni Mubarak ceded power because bloodshed would only have continued.

He is concerned, however, about military control. "A military doesn't relinquish power willingly," he said. "I would have been happier if it had been turned over to a civilian government backed by the military."

Elahee lived close to Tahrir Square in Cairo - where protestors have demonstrated relentlessly for 18 days - during 2006 and 2007, while teaching there.

"Most of my students and the young people there hated Mubarak. They also were indifferent. They were resigned to their lot. They had no hope in front of them," said Elahee, who originally is from Bangladesh and demonstrated for democracy his home country during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He believes the United States applied pressure behind the scenes or Mubarak would not have abdicated his 29-year rule.

Egypt receives $1.3 billion in aid annually from the U.S., second only to Israel in terms of allotment. "That's a lot of money. Plus, there are a lot of military ties," he said.

The boisterous street celebrations erupted within moments of the dramatic announcement by Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman that Mubarak had stepped down. The success of Egypt's protesters in ousting a longtime ruler came less than a month after a pro-democracy movement in Tunisia pushed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14.

The breakneck speed of developments, after decades of authoritarian rule in many Arab countries, left some of those celebrating Friday wondering where regime change might come next.

Mohamed "Mo" Ali, owner of New Star Diner in the Fair Haven section of New Haven, grew up in Egypt and still has family there. Ali's brother and nephew have been at the protests in Tahrir Square and his brother's son is a doctor on a crew that has been attending the wounded.

"It's young people that started the revolution but the whole country's depressed, so the whole country went after the government," Ali said.

"It (military in power) won't stay in place. This started with the people. It wasn't an army coup. I don't think the army can handle it for long," he said. "It's good for right now. We don't want a military country. Everybody under Mubarak has to go."

Frank Panzarella, a New Haven resident and organizer with the environmental and utility watchdog group Fight the Hike, said his brother and wife work in Cairo and are "elated" by events unfolding there. "Our friends on the ground there are thrilled and grateful to all who have voiced support in the U.S."

Social media sites such as Twitter were flooded with Friday with Tweets -- short posts no longer than 140 characters -- encouraging Egypt's people and lauding what so many hope will be a transition to democracy.

In a Twitter message, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: "Congratulations to the Egyptian people." The words "Congrats Egypt" were among the most popular terms used by Tweeters.

"This is big for the whole world, not just for America and Egypt. This is history," Ali said.

Mubarak's departure also came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran -- and one European academic said Mideast governments should not ignore Friday's seismic shift in the old world order.

"This is the popular demonstration that proves any leader can be toppled," said Eugene Rogan, director of the Middle East Center at St. Antony's College in Oxford. "For all the other rulers in the region, it's a very sobering moment."

In South Africa, U2 rehearsed Friday at the country's historic FNB Stadium -- known as Soccer City when it held the World Cup last year.

"This continent is on fire," marveled lead singer Bono, adding he hoped Egypt would benefit from leadership as visionary as Mandela's.

Connecticut Congressmen Joe Courtney, D-2; Jim Himes, D-4; Chris Murphy, D-5, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.,released statements on the developments Friday. "Hosni Mubarak's departure is an historic success for peaceful democratic change. Today is a great day for the Egyptian people, but it is also only the end of the beginning. The next important step is protecting Egypt's newly-won and richly-deserved freedom," Courtney said.

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Paul Schatz, founder and president of Heritage Capital LLC in Woodbridge, said the financial markets were not negatively affected by Mubarak stepping down. "From the moment Egypt broke, I knew its impact was going to be negligible," he said. "From an economic standpoint - and the markets - the ice storm we had last week was more important."

Uprisings have occurred in repressed societies around the world, Schatz said. "This is what happens. People speak out," he said.